Today’s news was certainly the 18 month jail time accorded convicted molester and ex priest Don Grecco.
Reality Checker drew attention to the Grecco charges 27 September 2008. That was just over two years ago. Over two long years that the victims have waited for this day.
Think about it. It’s taken longer to see this through to trial and sentencing than Grecco will spend behind bars.
Note that Justice Hawke decided that the fact that Grecco pleaded guilty was a mitigating factor.
When did he enter his guilty plea?
25 March 2010.
Eighteen months AFTER he was charged Grecco decided to enter a guilty plea.
18 months..
Is there honour in that? Was it honourable for Grecco to make his victims look and perhaps feel like liars for 18 months? I think not.
On a slightly different note, I receive a lot of intersting mail. Today was no exception. Today in fact I received an email from a rather irate and disgruntled observer. I will pass it on FYI:
Please note in your comments that Grecco did NOT get a sentence of 18 months today: his sentence is 3 years and 8 months, 18 months of which will be spent in jail (there will be no release) followed by a continuing sentence of 2 years — spent “on probation”, and his upkeep paid for by his own nickle.
Probation is variable, but it means that at the end of the first part of his sentence — the custodial part — he will be released to make his own way on the second part of his sentence, subject to a heavy list of “thou shalt nots” [e.g. travel, drink, be in public spaces, use a cellphone, talk to x or y, …] and a heavy list of “thou shalts” [e.g.report to a Parole Officer twice a day, subject yourself to strip searches at any time, curfews, piss tests, fixed line telephone surveillance…] .
The breach of any single one of the list of probation conditions during the two years of careful watchfulness by the police, means he will, immediately on breach, be returned to jail, most likely to remain there to the end of the 3 year 8 month sentence.
It is grossly misleading and inflammatory to say he got a sentence of 18 months. He did not.
And it is improper in a public forum to try to provide misinformation to incite such responses as we are reading on your site by suggesting that he “only” got 18 months. Wrong.
So there’s another take on Grecco’s sentencing, and on my commentaries regarding a “measly” 18 months behind bars.
Can anyone tell me if Grecco is actually supposed to report to a parole officer twice a day?
Enough for now,
Sylvia
Sylvia – I was driving into Welland today listening to what the kids had on the radio. There’s a Buffalo radio station that broadcasts the news almost every 15 minutes in amongst the music. The Grecco sentencing is making it on this particular radio station ( I think it’s 101.1 fm )and they are saying he is now registered on the National Sex Offender registry and has to give up his DNA.
Hey – I tend to think that’s good news!!!
That is good news Reality Checker, and truly I am thankful for these small mercies. I’m having trouble with the fact that I am happy with a sentence which puts a molester behind bars for a measly 18 months. I am so relieved that Grecco didn’t get house arrest that I’m happy with 18 months!
Bottom line is that I am aware that over the years of wading in this filth my thinking has changed. Once upon a time I would have been outraged with 18 months for a man who destroyed the lives of at least three young boys and is a threat to children. Now I am happy that he actually got 18 months! I’ve obviously come to expect very little 🙁
Like minds Sylvia – it’s better than nothing!!!
Hi Sylvia.
Although I have only seen the newspaper articles about this case, I can tell you a bit about the system and how this case will likely be handled. Given that he received less than a 2 year sentence, he will be held in provincial custody. I believe he will be at OCI in Brampton where I believe they do have a sex offender treatment program. Probation terms are not part of a custodial sentence. He has 18 months (but that doesn’t mean he will serve all of that behind bars – he will likely be released for some community supervision before the probation period commences.) Once he is in the community, he will be supervised by a provincial probation officer…not a federal parole officer. Based on his risk to reoffend and his release plan, he will be assigned a frequency of contact. Having said that, I respectfully disagree with the email you received stating that he will have to report to a parole (or probation in this case) officer twice a day. Even higher risk federal parolees do not have such a high degree of community supervision unless they are in a halfway house on day parole or on a residency condition. While under probation he will have to report (likely no more than once per week) to the probation officer and he may have police reporting as well depending upon the procedures in the area he is released. Also contrary to what the email you received stated, a breach of probation conditions does not mean that he would immediately be returned to jail – it would depend upon what the breach was and he certainly wouldn’t be held until the end of the probation period. Rather, if it were a serious breach, he would face a new criminal charge for breach of probation and he would have to have his day in court. He could be held in provincial lock-up but he could also be released back to the community to await disposition on the charge. Hope that helps.
Yes, Julie, that helps tremendously. Thank you so much for the clarifications